Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1487760
2 NEWS 8.12.2022 ON Friday 2nd December, the Malta Business Bureau (MBB) held its final con- ference for the Erasmus+ TAPROOM Project: Promoting the Production and Marketing of Organic and Craft Beer. e event, which took place at the Far- sons Brewhouse, was kicked off by MBB CEO Joe Tanti, who highlighted MBB's work in attaining EU funding and partic- ipation in European programmes such as TAPROOM for the benefit of the busi- ness community, stating, "we take great pride in being of service to businesses and entrepreneurs through such projects." e audience was welcomed by Farsons Group Chief Executive Norman Aquili- na to the Farsons Brewhouse, while Dr Chris Bonett, Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds, reinstated the importance not only of EU projects, but also of sup- porting niche industries such as the craft and beer market. TAPROOM Project Manager Michele Agius went on to introduce the project, affirming that "this Erasmus+ project was not only instrumental in strength- ening the niche industry of craft and or- ganic beer through numerous tools and activities, but also in bringing togeth- er a national cluster of passionate and energetic brewers. MBB is committed to bring this cluster to new heights by means of the Enterprise Europe Network support service and other opportunities." Agius went on to discuss the primary project outputs, presenting the Manual for Trainers, a tailor-made approach to train the trainers how to educate people and entrepreneurs by means of ten train- ing modules which deal with the entire process of getting craft beer from farm to glass. Citing the uniqueness of the craft and beer industry as the basis for this unique approach in training, the Project Man- ager also presented a guidebook for national certification developed by the five project partners, which includes a step-by-step instruction list for emerg- ing enterprises to obtain certified legal labelling for their products, tailor-made for each of the five countries and for EU standards. ese tools, he continued, have been made all the more accessible and far-reaching by featuring on the spe- cifically designed digital hub, known as the Interactive Repository Platform. Finally, Agius explained how, thanks to the willingness of the brewers, national clusters have come together in the spirit of collaboration, resulting in the creation of five national clusters of brewers (one from each of the five partnering countries par- ticipating in the Erasmus+ TAPROOM Project). With the aim of working on both at a national level and cooperating on a trans-national level, the Malta cluster can also benefit from the collective assistance offered by the MBB with regards to its many support services, including the En- terprise Europe Network. Panels discussing organic and craft beer from a local and European per- spective followed, with contributions from key industry representatives from ITALCAM (Germany), AVA Creations (Bulgaria), Out of the Box International (Belgium) and GAL Molise (Italy), and Malta Business Bureau (Malta) on a Eu- ropean level, and Lord Chambray, Husk- ie Craft Beer, e Beerhop, e Brew Grill & Brewery and Farsons on a local level, after which questions were fielded from the audience. MSE Institute participates in an Erasmus+ project to improve financial literacy amongst youths Strengthening the niche industry of craft and organic beer THE Malta Stock Exchange (MSE) In- stitute together with five European partners participated in an Erasmus+ project that led to the creation of the I Don't Know project website www. project-idontknow.com which was launched during a seminar held at the MSE on Friday 28 October. is APP-based digital learning plat- form was developed as a practical tool for Vocational Education and Training (VET) educators and trainers of fi- nancial literacy education to help teach their students on several subject are- as, such as financial budgeting; money management; managing credit; finan- cial planning; understanding econo- my and mastering investment. It uses gamification to help youths assess their knowledge of financial literacy and fi- nancial management. is digital tool comprises four ele- ments. e first component is the on- line digital database, which contains an exhaustive compilation of cutting-edge practices, projects, policies, methodol- ogies, approaches, resources and tools for financial literacy education. e sec- ond is the training curriculum, which includes resources for VET teachers such as the theoretical framework as well as the necessary learning outcomes expressed in terms of knowledge, skills and competences. e third element is the training platform for the learning of financial literacy competencies, whilst the fourth the is the pedagogical hand- book for VET Trainers and educators. Cliff Pace, Director of Studies at the Malta Stock Exchange Institute, com- mented: "We are thrilled to partner with five different European partners in this Erasmus+ project. Such a free and new online tool is designed to help youths improve their level of financial literacy and financial management, and I am sure it will lead to more financial maturity among those who are starting out in their adult life and as they choose their financial priorities and make their financial decisions." e I Don't Know project consortium includes the project coordinator Malta Stock Exchange Institute Ltd., Malta and five partners: KIST Consult e. U., Austria; International Business College, Denmark; Ålands yrkesgymnasium, Åland, Finland; Obrtna tehnička škola, Croatia and Poljoprivredno šumarska škola Vinkovci, Croatia. e project was co-funded by the European Union. The Director of Studies at the MSE Institute Cliff Pace together with members of the MSE Institute team Malta Business Bureau holds TAPROOM final conference at Farsons Brewhouse